Saturday, July 28, 2012

Our fabulous weekend ended with a little fun for our kiddies. TJ's extended family started this tradition (as far as I know) of setting out decorated boxes for the fairies who live in the forest. The fairies then fill up the boxes with treats, toys and other goodies. On Sunday night, TJ and the boys gathered the decor for the boxes. Ferns, moss and other plants were chosen to cover the boxes. We want our fairies to feel at home and comfortable.

My little ham!

The next morning was like Christmas. Thank GOODNESS Drew can tell time because they weren't aloud to come and get us until 7:30. They were good little boys and obeyed! They ran outside to look for their boxes and were so happy to find their boxes FULL! Those fairies were VERY generous.

The boys and their goodies

After opening all of their fun stuff, the boys and I practiced and then TJ took them to Remlinger Farms. TJ did some research about the farms and it looked promising. They ended up having a really great time! Their were fun rides, activities and more. The boys LOVED it. I love what a great dad TJ is. He loves taking the boys out to do fun things and spending time with them and I love that about him.

I love Drew's face in a lot of these pictures- I was cracking up as I edited these!!

So many fun things to do!

I love my husband! Isn't he so handsome!?!

My cute boys!

These are two of my fav pics! I love Drew's smile, TJ's giddiness of getting these pictures and Cam just cracking up!

While TJ was out with the boys, I stayed home and had a little "me" time. I read a lot, took a long hot shower and was able to have a nice relaxing afternoon! My mom wasn't feeling well, so she was in bed all day. My dad worked on the boys walking sticks and was able to get some shooting (photography) in.

The next morning it was up early again and to Seattle! We first stopped at the Seattle Aquarium. It was a great aquarium with fun hands on experiences.

The boys touching Starfish. Check out the starfish with the gazillion legs!

Check out the fish with the TEETH!!! What the??

Drew helped me take some of these pictures and after taking some of the photos declared that he wanted a camera just like mine...riiiiiiiight.

Cool sea plants/coral/creatures

The boys loving these fun Octopus legs

Some more pics taken by my little budding photographer Drew

I know I'm biased... but he's so stinkin' cute!!

a fun pic of my three little boys

family photo op!

After the aquarium we had lunch at Ivars where the boys got to feed their fries to Seagulls, which they loved. The food was good too. It was fried seafood and fries. The boys tried calamari for the first time and loved it. Yum!

After lunch we walked around a few of the shops by Ivars and then got on the Ferry to Bainbridge Island. Over there we crossed a bridge to another Island to visit the city Poulsbo so TJ could visit a model home for work. While he was out on business, my parents and the kids and I walked through this cute town. It was kind of like Leavenworth as it was a themed type of town. This one was a Nordic/Viking town. There were shops with all kinds of things from Finland, Norway, and Sweden. There was a most amazing bakery. I tried some truly amazing treats! There was also a fun Chocolate shop and an amazing ice-cream shop! We were in heaven :)

The Chocolate shop surrounded by a cool Viking Mural

The day in Poulsbo couldn't have been more gorgeous- it was warm (but not hot!!) and sunny. We sat and enjoyed our treats, took some pictures of this cute town and took the beautiful surroundings in.

On the Ferry ride back, I took some pictures of the skyline and my dad took a picture of our family. It was incredibly windy and the skyline of Seattle was very impressive!

We ended our day with a nice visit to TJ's aunt Linda-our last time seeing her on this trip. It was our last trip into town, our last excursion before we go home. It was bittersweet. We have truly loved exploring and falling in love with Washington. We love the weather here, the beautiful surroundings. The people are so, so kind. I've been so happy with every aspect of this trip. We still have a few days left and plan to make every moment count! Check back to see the end of this great trip :)

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Our last weekend in Washington! I can't believe how fast this trip has gone, it has flown by so quickly. We are going to miss our cabin, the beautiful cool weather, the gorgeous surroundings and the time we've had together as a family.

After our "lazy" week, we were so excited to have my parents up with us. They flew in Thursday night, but got here Friday afternoon. We were all so excited to see them, especially the boys. TJ and I were happy to be able to share this beautiful place with them. We wasted no time in showing them around town. Our first stop, was to Deception falls which was about 20 minutes away. These falls were gorgeous and they surprise you when you are driving through the canyon. They are just off the road. We stopped and took a bunch of pictures. I always like taking pictures with my dad- he gives good advice and helps me to take better pictures. If you go to his blog you can see a few of the pictures he took and bask in his talent. He is truly an artist (but will deny it)!

I love my momma! She's so caring, kind, genuine and easy to be around. I love talking to her and spending time with you. I love you mom!

After exploring the falls and the pretty forest around it, we headed to Leavenworth.

Leavenworth is Bavarian-themed town 45 from where we're staying. What a cute place. Lucky for us, we know people up here in Washington and had some good advice for exploring the town. First stop, we went to the river that runs through the town and took pictures, skipped rocks and enjoyed the cool weather.

My parents and TJ and I were all very excited to have some delicious german food. We found a promising restaurant and were not disappointed. We had schnitzel, speatzle, and other delicious german food. YUUUM! There used to be a german restaurant in Ogden that we loved but has closed. It's been so long since we'd had german food. There was a man who played an accordian, it really added to the atmosphere.

We spent the rest of the evening going through some of the shops. There were cute Christmas shops, a music box shop, shops with German and Bavarian desserts (um, yes please!) and even some kids shops- the kids found some fun treasures. The town really played the part well of a cute Bavarian town. The architecture, the design, the shops-everything. There were murals all over as well. I got some fun pics of those. It was a fun night! The drive there and back was beautiful as well. It had been raining all day so the clouds were low and wispy over the mountains. I love when the clouds cover the mountains, it makes them seem so much bigger and grand. And, I really just love cloudy, stormy, overcast days.

The next morning-Saturday-we were off on another adventure. First, we stopped to take pictures of Bridal Vail Falls. We pass them every time we go into town and are blown away when we see them. This picture doesn't even come CLOSE to doing them justice!

After that we were off to the History of Flight Museum. It was really cool. I've always been fascinated by flying and airplanes-even though I don't necessarily love to fly in them ;)

The boys loved the museum. There were lots of hands on things for them to explore like open cockpits to sit in, a kids area with fun activities and a little area where we all got to make paper airplanes-really COOL paper airplanes!

The boys after making there own commemorative penny!

makin' our airplanes! Isn't my dad the cutest! I just love him. He's always so happy and fun to be around.

There were two parts to the museum. The first part (pictures above) had airplanes, the kids activity zone, some flight simulators and an area devoted to space flight. The second part of the museum-across the street- had a bunch of huge airplanes that you could go into and explore including the Air Force One used by President Kennedy, a 747 (my personal fave), a concorde and more. In the building part of this second part of the museum was the space shuttle training shuttle that all of the astronauts trained in before flying in space. It wasn't completed so we couldn't explore it-bummer! Here are a few pics of the planes that were outside.

the cockpit from air force 1

the concorde

747- this one was closed for some reason and we couldn't go inside :(

The boys and their loot from the Flight Museum gift shop!

After the Museum we had a quick lunch in the car and attempted to get on a Ferry to Bainbridge Island, and then to the Ballard Locks. Downtown Seattle was too busy so we skipped the Ferry and headed to the locks. The Locks were one of the highlights of the trip for me. It was so fascinating! They separated the ocean and Lake Washington. Boats of all sizes would go through. there was a big tugboat and then small speed boats and sailboats as well. There were workers who were tethered to a rail on the side of the locks as the water went down so they didn't fall in. It was a cool process to watch. While we were there we also got to see the Salmon ladder where all of the Salmon from the ocean were swimming upstream to spawn in fresh water. That was cool too.

The drawbridge over the channel where the ships came in

My cute little boys!

Some of the ships in the locks waiting for the water level to lower.

After some shopping we headed back to the cabin. We spent the rest of the night baking cookies, making dinner and hanging out!

Sunday we were exhausted after a long weekend and lucky for us, Eli slept in until after 9, which meant TJ and I got to sleep in as well-yay!! My dad and the boys carved walking sticks outside and Drew got to use his new pocket knife he'd purchased in Leavenworth. We were all able to relax and have a really nice day together. We had a yummy spaghetti dinner and dessert. It was chilly outside so we had a fire going (in July!!) . It made for a nice cozy night in.

My Little Monkey's

Smiley, Chumples and Eyebrows

Drew

My big second grader! Drew LOVES soccer, riding bikes and scooters, playing with his brother Cam and friends and watching movies. He works so hard on his cello and is becoming an excellent reader. He's so helpful around the house. We love our Drew!

Cam

Cam is almost 5! He is my creative, fun-loving, sweetheart. Cam loves anything creative-crafts, coloring, puzzles. He loves to play with his older brother Drew and with friends. He started violin lessons this year and is doing fantastic. He's such a handsome boy, with amazing blue eyes. We love our Cam!

Eli

My almost 1 year old! He is our crazy, silly, funny and random little boy. We sure love him!